observations, part 3

cars...i've been meaning to comment about cars...the most common recognizable cars (for me) are mercedes & bmw's. but, i've also seen audi, hundai, honda, toyota, saab, mini couper, subaru, & ford (primarily the focus, but i did see a ford expedition!...and a suburban - i'm thinking they were imported by americans moving to finland). all the others are european makes i don't recognize...although i have seen a couple kia dealerships, i haven't noticed one on the road. mercedes are used as taxis & not town car-like taxis either, they have the yellow taxi sign on the roof. all the bmw's i've seen are very dirty, not pristinely clean like in the states (except one i saw yesterday, & it was a taxi). there was a taxi in the parking lot of the gym last week, so i'm wondering if people use their own cars for taxi work. still, i don't know of any mercedes/bmw owner in the states that would be willing to use their car as a taxi (or even be a taxi driver). i passed a corvette in stockholm that was also very dirty - another (european) tourist was getting his picture taken next to it :) teehee. so, i'm thinking cars aren't the status symbol they are in the states - except maybe the porsche; one sped by stefano (another cs-er) & me in stockholm & he commented "yeah, so you own a porsche....".

finns seem to always be in a hurry (or maybe it's because i really never am here). they walk extremely fast. but, most are willing to just stand while riding the escalators (to the right so people can walk up on the left; some people either aren't aware of this, or forget & block the path). i'm not fond of just standing around, so i walk up the escalators knowing that 2 or 3 of the people i pass are going to speed right by me after we get off.

you know, i don't think i could fully integrate into finn society w/o wearing a scarf (well, the language thing, too). practically everyone wears a scarf (primarily women) even during the spring & summer. it's not just a warmth thing, it's also a fashion staple. however, since i don't like bulky things around my neck, that's never gonna happen.

eating out is very expensive in helsinki. i have eaten @ 2 restaurants & both times my bill was around 25e, which isn't much less than what i spend on food for a week. even @ chico's, which i consider a cheap, applebee's-type restaurant where, in the states, my bill would only be about $15 instead of around $40....a buffet ticket on the cruise was 35e!